1. Technical Field
This document relates to methods and materials for treating patients following an assessment of immune subtypes such as an assessment of peripheral blood phenotypes. For example, this document provides methods and materials for treating a mammal having a medical condition after assessing a mammal's level of CD14+/DR− cells (e.g., CD14+/DR− monocytes) and level of CD4+ cells (e.g., CD4+ T cells) and classifying the mammal has being likely to experience a favorable or unfavorable medical outcome based at least in part on the mammal's level of CD14+/DR− cells and level of CD4+ cells.
2. Background Information
The immune system of a mammal is a system of biological structures and processes that helps protect the mammal from diseases by identifying and killing pathogens and tumor cells. A monocyte is one type of white blood cell that is part of the immune system. Monocytes can have several roles in the immune system. For example, monocytes can migrate to sites of infection and differentiate into macrophages and dendritic cells. Another type of cell that is part of the immune system is a CD4+ T cell. CD4+ T cells are a sub-group of lymphocytes that help activate and direct other cells of the immune system.